The way to call Launcher
 

Hi,

This poll is for users of Telescope App Switcher and [url=http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=58656]Alternative Android-style App Launcher.

In the near future these two apps will be merged into the single project. And we want to know your opinion on which way to launch telescope and app launcher is preferred for you.

From early days of telescope it was called with "Home" key, the one with house icon on N800 or with two overlapping squares on N810. This key is also known as F5.
App Launcher at present moment exists in two versions: one can be called with button in statusbar, the other -- with button in navigator panel (left panel in which Personal Menu is located).

Please tell us which method of calling Telescope and App Launcher you want to see in release version.

Of course, multiple methods of launching could be supported. Please vote which of them you find to be more convient.

Thanks!

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

I forgot to read your post.
I want to press the home key and have a 'menu' box as if it were an open program. Really I need a super easy access to run a command so i can kill stray programs.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

I like the home key for both. But I'd like it to keep switching, so 1st would bring up telescope, 2nd for altlaunch (Yes I made that up o.o). And have it keep alternating, so a 3rd hit would go back to telescope etc...

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Mgamerz
Do you mean something like ‘Start → Run…’ in Windows?

cstryon
This is exactly how it works in my experimental build :)

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Now, Telescope won't run when there are no windows to show right? I think the home key will be nice calling launcher when nothing is opened. Then I can take the application launcher out of the status bar, and have an all purpose Awesome button!

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

I think too, but i just had noticed that many people were asked me why telescope reacts on Home button if no apps running. Don't know why, but it seems illogical to them :)
Of course, we can show launcher on first hit to Home key in this case.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

I've never used the launcher (yet, I was waiting for it to pop into the app manager).

But if you choose to do the "Home button launches telescope then the launcher", could you also consider that when you're in the launcher, pushing again on the home button would open the subsequent panes in the launcher ?

So if I have 3 panes (let's say "My selection", "Internet" and "Extra"), the first push would show Telescope, the second "My selection", the third "Internet", the fourth "Extra" and the fifth could maybe go back to the desktop.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Hmm... I like it.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Some cool ideas here from inoshishi and cstryon!

If possible what I would like to see is the home key kept for Telescope, but to have an area in the top left perhaps for the launcher, along with some sort of status bar if possible.

I'm pretty sure that whatever turns up though will be fast efficient, and cool, the track record so far has been excellent!!

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

I would like status bar button for telescope and in the left corner of telescope a button for launcher. The status bar button should show notifications. I want the first press on home key to go to the home screen (minimize all), home key on home screen brings telescope or launcher whaen all windows are close, home key on telescope bring and page launcher. Moving between windows in telescope and icons in launcher is with the dpad, starting in the top left icon/window. long press with dpad should scroll about 3 icons per second and go to next page when end of line is reached.
Long list I know :)

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Unfortunately, i haven't started with notifications yet. Although i have some some ideas about how to implement them.
The problem is in how to catch notifications on the fly via d-bus. Diablo's version of d-bus makes me unable to do it in righteous way and i need to invent some workarounds.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

My thoughts:
Home key for both telescope and launcher.
Optional statusbar item for launcher.
Top-left icon in Diablo5 theme acts as combined task switcher (cycling through tasks) and notification area (if any notifications are currently active).

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

I don't mind the 'press home button one time and telescope launches, press it twice and launcher triggers, third time telescope..and so on" - BUT I wouldn't want that to be the only way I could start Launcher.

In a perfect world the above would work but in ADDITION to that I could also have an application icon in my status bar that I could click on and start Launcher. Sometimes I use my tablet on the stand and don't "hold it". Having to now grab it just to get into Launcher would be much more cumbersome in that situation than just clicking on an icon in the statusbar.

The >Start>Programs-menu approach adds too much complexity, in my mind, I'd love for this to be fast and cutting down on steps and menus to get to something you use multiple times/day.

As others have said, Mitrandir, go with your gut and do what you think is best/most efficient - your trackrecord has indeed been great there :)

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

I want the exact same thing (incl the status-bar task-switching icon) :)

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Using that top left button is ideal but that would require changing the window manager (matchbox) to support this. Mitrandir ? is that an option ?

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Another idea, launch telescope, when you press the background you get launcher, press background again to reach homescreen. No need to add any buttons to telescope this way.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

I'm really in general, and here as well, strongly against having to go through applications to get to where I want. I don't want to tap and then tap to get to desktop. I want to tap.

Launch Telescop: Homekey.
Launch Launcher: Softkey in statusbar.
Exit either: Single tap.

That should be the bare minimum for the most efficient use. You could of course add OPTIONS to double-tap/double-click, menus (ugh), etc - but please let those be options and don't abandon the focus on speed and simplicity.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Now it seems to me that we would implement "Home key for both" approach and also will release two optional packages which will include Statusbar and Navigator applets for the launcher. Thanks to D-Bus support these applets could be optional parts and are pretty trivial.

I don't like idea with tapping on background to run launcher too because it doesn't allow running launcher to be automated in your fingers. I mean it makes you think on where you should tap to hit the background and not hit one of window thumbnails (which can change their positions depending of number of windows opened).

Some sort of softkey in topleft corner inside telescope is good for Diablo5 theme, even more if this softkey will look same as topleft corner button on desktop (which in this case will fully mimic Fremantle). But for classic themes, it would be not so logical, i think.

As far as i know, it is possible to have one of hildon statusbar applets on topleft position and if it really so (need to ask Kroll about this), we can craft the statusbar applet that will implement the desired behavior.


Thanks all for your suggestions! Please keep up!

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

It is possible to eliminate the left button so that the status bar starts at the left corner, but then you lose one button and we don't have that many. Also that button is 80 pixels (or any size you choose) and status bar buttons are fixed at 40.
You can change the top left button to "minimize all" thereby showing the home screen. Only single tap to home.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Is it possible to assign running custom command to that button?

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

No. Actually I'm not sure if minimizeall is implemented. I know you can have as many buttons as you want at any size with next, prev, minimize, maximize and close assigned to them.

here is some info some of it was changed by the hildon butchers :)

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Sadly :(

(i hate this 10-chars limit)

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

I was going to make this point as well, but you beat me to it! Yes, I think ideal placement depends on the theme. I'm running one of the classic themes, and I have the Nokia Applications panel in my Task navigator. It would be nice to be able to remove this and substitute Launcher. Although... I ran Control Panel and went to Panels and it doesn't look like I can! :( "Applications" cannot be deselected. Hmm... I don't think I want Launcher in addition to the Nokia Applications panel.

And I don't think that hitting Home twice should be the only way to get to Launcher. It doesn't make sense from a UI perspective: "How do I get to the application launcher?" "Oh, you have to run the app switcher first and then press Home again." "Why? They're two different functions." "Because there was this thread on t.m.o. :o" It seems slightly odd to me to link them at all from a UI purity standpoint, unless perhaps you want to run a particular program and you can't remember if it's already open ("Is it open? No -- OK then open it."). But there's no harm in the Home key approach b/c its adding functionality to Telescope, not taking away any currently-existing functionality, and it might be a nice shortcut for some.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Maybe there is hope. In the link I posted it says:

In theme.xml action="custom" opens titlebar menu. Maybe we can define other actions using gconf. I don't really know how to use gconf :(

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Diablo's gconf doesn't contains anything with ‘matchbox’ or ‘custom’ in name :(

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

about replacing the classical application menu, doing so is a mess as nokia put some hard codes in there.

for instance, it will attempt to load any .desktop file (or anything that looks like a .desktop file internally) with a specific name, even if the button in question is technically disabled via the control panel applet. this then results in some odd layout issues (having 3 buttons checked in the panel applet, yet the bottom one getting replaced by the application menu button. or in a blank space where the button is supposed to be).

also, right now (un)installation of the launcher-navigator deb ends up causing the whole panel layout to reloaded, with the risk that the user is left without any way to launch programs (specifically the control panel, so that he can reactivate the application menu, or the launcher replacement).

so unless a way to replace the application menu button, thats risk free, is found, i would say its better to leave it alone.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

what is schema in:
/schemas/apps/osso/keybindings/

I see there window_switch_right and other familiar terms. Maybe we can have a new key there ?
I know I'm hanging at straws here :(
I Added another button and tried assigning diffrent action to it. It only works with close, minimize, next, prev and custom. If anyone knows what is the wm word for "minimize all" I'll try it.

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

hmm, what about using the center dpad with the desktop in focus?

Re: The way to call Launcher
 

Thanks. And here's your other post on this topic.

I agree.